Group

Jacopo Grilli

Research Scientist (~ Associate Prof) -
email: jgrilli@ictp.it

I am a biological physicist, with a background in statistical physics. Broadly speaking, I am interested in understanding complex phenomena starting from simple rules and minimal assumptions. Most of my research is at the interface between statistical physics and ecology, with a particular focus on coexistence, stability, and variability. I also work on different problems in genomics and cell physiology.

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Will Shoemaker

Postdoc, started May 2022 -
email: williamrshoemaker@gmail.com

  • B.Sc. in Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
  • Ph.D. in Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
  • Postdoc with Nandita Garud, Dept. of Eco. and Evo. Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA

I study the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities. Though I am a biologist by training, I am fascinated with views of biological systems that are grounded in statistical physics. At ICTP I am working to build a physicist’s intuition of microbial ecology and evolution through empirical and theoretical means. My current research is focused on connecting macroecological predictions to experimental data and the application of macroecological principles to patterns of genetic diversity in the human gut microbiome.

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Onofrio Mazzarisi

TLQS Postdoc (joint OGS-ICTP), started November 2023 -
email: onofrio.mazzarisi@gmail.com

  • B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Ph.D. in Physics with Federico Corberi, Università di Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
  • Postdoc with M. Smerlak, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
  • Postdoc with D. Reuman, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

My background is in theoretical physics and my PhD focused on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. While I keep an active interest in the fundamentals and methods of statistical physics, the focus of my research mostly shifted to its interface with ecology and evolution. I am currently focusing on links between population dynamics and macro-ecological patterns, microbial ecology and physiology and analysis of stochastic time series.

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Mihael Špacapan

Postdoc, started October 2024 -
email: mihael.spacapan@gmail.com

  • B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Microbiology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • PhD in Biotechnology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Postdoc with prof. dr. Ines Mandić-Mulec
  • ICGEB Arturo Falaschi Fellow, postdoc with dr. Vittorio Venturi at ICGEB, Trieste, Italy

I am a microbiologist with extensive laboratory experience in bacterial genetics andphysiology. My research has mostly been focused on bacterial cell-to-cellcommunication. Now I am working on generating experimental data to construct andtest mathematical models.

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Annamaria Bupu

Ph.D. student at SISSA (joint ICTP-SISSA), started Oct 2022 -
email: anna.bupu@gmail.com

  • M.Sc. in Physics, Universitas Indonesia, Depok Indonesia
  • B.Sc. in Physics, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia

I am a physics student interested in biological systems, especially in the variation of the composition of microbial communities and their relation with ecological function. My current research centers on investigating the reproducibility of microbial communities at various taxonomical levels using a data-driven approach in combination with models.

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Roaa Mohmmed Yagb Omer

Ph.D. student at SISSA (joint ICTP-SISSA), started Oct 2023 -
email: romer@sissa.it

  • B.Sc. Scientific Laboratories(Physics), Sudan University of Sciences and Technology, Sudan.
  • M.Sc. In Mathematical Sciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cameroon.
  • QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2021 - August 2022

I am a physics student with a keen interest in studying and modeling biological systems, particularly bacterial cell physiology. My current research focuses on understanding how microbes make decisions in uncertain environments by employing techniques from quantitative physiology and evolutionary dynamics. I aim to explore microbial adaptation, characterizing phenotypic heterogeneity, and determining the roles of bet-hedging and diverse phenotypes in fluctuating environments.

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Ricardo Garcia

M.Sc. Student in Physics of Complex Systems at Politecnico di Torino, Internship, started Oct 2024 -
email: <>

  • B.Sc. in Physical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy

I am a physics student interested in expanding my point of view on complex systems by studying its applications to ecology. My Master’s thesis will explore the mechanisms of interaction arising in a fluctuating environment, focusing on the emergence and stability of cooperation among agents that can share information and wealth.

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Past Members

Dario Sergo, Internship, started Oct 2023.

Xiaotian Zhou, Ph.D. student at HHU, China, supervised by Jiyang Wang and Aidong Ruan, Visiting Sept 2022 - Nov 2023. - - -

Richmond Crisostomo, Master Student in QBio at U. of Montpellier, France, February 2023 - August 2023. - -

Vitor Monteiro Marquioni , Ph.D. Student at UNICAMP with M. de Aguiar and ICTP Visiting Student, March 2022 - March 2023. - - - -

Matteo Sireci, PhD Student at Universidad de Granada, Spain, co-supervised with M.A. Muñoz, Sept 2019 - June 2023. -

Rian Fritz Jalandoni, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2022 - August 2023. -

Patricia Lazo Paravicini, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2022 - August 2023.

José M. Camacho Mateu, Visiting Student at ICTP January 2023 - May 2023 (Ph.D. student Carlos III University of Madrid). -

Lorenzo Fant , PhD student at SISSA, Sept 2019 - Feb 2022. - - - - - -

Samuele Lipani, Master Student in Physics of Data at University of Padova, Italy, April 2022 - April 2023. - -

Manuel Vasquez Ibarra, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2021 - August 2022. -

Sahar Farrag, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2021 - August 2022. -

Adalberto Valsecchi, Master Student at University of Milan, Italy, March 2021 - February 2022. - -

Aamna Saleem, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2020 - December 2021.

Silvia Zaoli, Postdoc, January 2020 - December 2021. - - - -

Ivana Rondon, QLS Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2020 - August 2021. -

Min Hao Ling, MATH Diploma Program student at ICTP, September 2020 - August 2021. -

Mattia Corigliano, Master Student at University of Milan, Italy, October 2020 - July 2021. - - - - -

— where we are from (present and past) —